UPDATE: The Metropolitan Development Commission overturned the billboard approval, and the city now is looking into whether the existing sign is legal.

The city's planning staff is challenging a Board of Zoning Appeals decision to allow an electronic billboard at 86th Street and River Road. The zoning board approved the Lamar Advertising request by a 3-2 vote, despite an explicit countywide ban on the signs borne of concerns about driver distraction. Lamar wants to replace the western-facing portion of the sign, which now rotates three ads, with a digital display that updates every 15 seconds.

The Metropolitan Development Commission is scheduled to consider the appeal at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. To earn a variance, Lamar has to show that the move would not be injurious to public health, that it would not adversely affect nearby property values and that strict application of zoning rules would result in "practical difficulties in the use of the property." Essentially, Lamar's hardship argument boils down to it wants an already profitable sign to be more profitable. They also have committed to no motion or flashing. "We ought to be able to have the right to do it," said local land-use attorney Thomas Michael Quinn, who represents Lamar. "All the surrounding counties (including Hamilton and Johnson) allow it." Lamar is expected to file suit if the MDC overturns the variance.

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Managing Editor

Schouten is an Indianapolis native and Indiana University graduate who joined IBJ in 2006 after stints at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and the Arizona Republic. He covered the real estate beat for most of those years, and launched the Property Lines blog, before taking over as managing editor in March 2013.

Schouten has been honored for investigative and enterprise reporting by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, the Alliance of Area Business Publications and the Society of Professional Journalists in Indianapolis. During his tenure as moderator of Property Lines, the blog was recognized twice as the best among business journals by the AAPB.

Schouten serves as secretary of the board of governors of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, and is set to serve as the organization's president in 2016. He is treasurer of the Indianapolis Press Club Foundation, and a board member of the Indianapolis Public Schools Education Foundation.

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On Tuesday, April 24 IBJ & Indiana University will host Education-to-Employment (E2E) Convergence, a panel discussion focused on how Indiana can build a talent strategy around a more highly educated workforce. E2E will identify examples of successful partnerships to better integrate college graduates into our workforce from around the state. Register today.